VietinBank Tower gets off the ground

Developed by Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank), one of the largest banking group in Vietnam, the tower is located in the southern Thang Long new town, Ciputra City in Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, about 10 kilometres north-eastern far from the capital’s downtown.

Designed by Foster & Partners and managed by Turner International LLC, VietinBank Tower, bringing together the bank’s headquarters, conference, hotel and leisure facilities are strategically located between the central Hanoi and the airport, showcasing the emergence of Vietnam as an international financial centre with a pioneering environmental agenda.

The 300,000-square-metre development comprises two towers, connected by a 7-storey podium building containing conference facilities, luxury shops, cafes and restaurants and topped by roof top gardens. The taller tower, at 68-storeys, will provide an energy-efficient new headquarters for VietinBank. The second, 48-storey tower will house a five-star hotel, spa and serviced apartments, with a ‘diamond bar’ providing a stylish new dining destination at the very top.

The upper levels of each tower have been sheared diagonally to create V-shaped peaks, emblematic of the Bank, which face away from the adjoining podium building to address views of the city and surrounding landscape. Rising from a triangular footprint, the two wings of the towers are braced by a central green spine, formed by a series of connected atria, which contribute to the building’s environmental strategy.

Mouzhan Majidi, chief executive of Foster & Partners said: “This is an exciting moment for the practice, as we break ground on our first project in Vietnam. Our design is a sustainable response to the climate and traditions of Hanoi and the tower will have an important symbolic presence – VietinBank will rise above the surrounding buildings to be one of the first landmarks you see at the gateway to the city.”

Recently, on October 10^th  2010, VietinBank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) signed investment cooperation agreements, opening up opportunities for development and strengthening VietinBank position on both domestic and international markets.

Up to end of the third quarter of 2010, VietinBank’s total assets reached VND320 trillion and its average growth rate of VietinBank’s business activities in recent years has been 20-30 per cent per year.